Discuss
The Way of the World as a brilliant
example of Restoration Comedy.
Restoration
as a historical period was a time when
England was an established colonial
power in the world. It was a time of
materialism and commerce and the people
of the period emphasized money, pleasure
and sex. Love and marriage were judged
in terms of money. Artificiality and
immorality were the defining features
of the age. People looked towards relaxation
and pleasure and serious things mattered
less to them. By highlighting these
things, The Way of the World
exposes the issues of money, love, sex,
marriage and in short the behavior of
the people of the time in the language
of prose. The rakes, fops, gallants
and wits are the primary types dealt
with in a language that is outwardly
brilliant but lacking philosophical
and emotional or psychological depth.
This makes the play a typical restoration
comedy of manners. The mode employed
is satiric and ironic which befits the
social reality of the time.
In the restoration
period there was a moneyed class with
leisure. Pursuit of sexual pleasure
and money was the main concern of the
people. Marriage was not just liked
at as an institution for procreation
or for providing stability to social
life. It was seen as a mercenary venture.
The Way of the World contains
characters who resort to sexual innuendos
and vulgar jokes. Humor and wit are
the key ingredients of this play. The
characters represent many aspects of
the society of the time and the aristocracy
in particular. Mirabell is a wit and
manipulator. He uses language in a very
witty manner. The clever use of language
makes his speech brilliant on the surface
but it has no psychological depth underneath.
He pretends to love Lady Wishfort so
that he can move closer to Millament.
His eyes are on her fortune. Love and
marriage are guided by a desire for
material gain. Fainall, the villain
of the play is intent on laying his
hand on Lady Wishfort’s fortune.
He marries Mrs. Fainall not because
his love for her is true but because
he takes it as a mercenary venture.
Millament is a typical Restoration Coquette
and Mirabell, a representative beau.
Petualant and Witwood are the typical
fops of Restoration drama. They are
more concerned with dress and appearance
than with anything else.
Use of wit is
a remarkable aspect of Restoration Comedy.
The characters use language in a very
tricky and clever way. Use of repartee
basically refers to quick replies while
reposte is related to sharp return in
speech. Wit was a sharp weapon in the
late seventeenth century, to be used
for the amusement of those intelligent
enough to follow the exchange. While
talking to Mrs. Fainall, Mirabell provides
an example of wit as he comments on
early eighteenth century marriage. He
says, “You should have just so
much disgust for your husband as may
be sufficient to make you relish your
lover.” The whole plot of the
play revolves around the issues of adultery,
marriage and fortune hunting. As we
see the plot unfold the characters reveal
themselves through their pursuits and
behavior. The way they behave makes
laughter inevitable. Through this Congreve
is satirizing the behavior of the people
of then English society. It is typical
Restoration
Comedy of Manners.
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